Posted Fri Sep 01 23:00:00 EAT 2017

Maize pest meets its match in desmodium and napier grass

Farmers are taken through the push pull method in Kericho. About 30 per cent of maize grown in the country is affected by the stem borer pest, which is prevalent in Rift Valley and parts of Central Kenya. PHOTO | RACHEL KIBUI | NATION MEDIA GROUP

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The healthy crop is surrounded by napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum) and intercropped with desmodium (Desmodium uncinatum).

The two are used to control stem borer, a destructive pest that affects the maize crop.

The technology known as push-pull is an innovation from International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (Icipe) and Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation (Kalro), among other partners. At larvae stage, stem borer bores hole into the maize stem and eats from inside.

It also destroys leaves and eats the grains.

About 30 per cent of maize grown in the country is affected by the pest, which is prevalent in Rift Valley and parts of Central Kenya like Murang’a.

From the small parcel of his land on which he has intercropped maize with desmodium, Soi expects to harvest six 90kg bags of maize, thanks to ‘push-pull’ method.

Besides, he will harvest napier grass and desmodium as feeds for his three dairy cows.

His farm is among 11 others where the technology is being implemented in Kericho County under the Grains Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for East Africa project by Icipe.